This invention relates to a battery charging assembly having a charging network that develops three different charging rate currents and a charging unit having various cavities that allows the correct charging rate current to be applied to various rechargeable batteries that may be inserted into the cavities.
An increasing number of consumer products are operated by one or more rechargeable cells, for example, nickel-cadmium cells available in many different sizes having various electrical charging characteristics that may be rechargeable by consumer battery chargers.
One such battery charger or assembly is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,264 of Blake et al. assigned to the same assignee as the present invention and herein incorporated by reference. While such a battery charger assembly serves it desired purpose, it is limited to providing two (2) different charging rates applicable to standard major "AA", "C", and "D" rechargeable cells. It is desired that a battery charger assembly provides an additional charging rate current so as to accommodate additional standard major "AAA" and "9 volt" type rechargeable cells.
Increasing the number of major cells that are capable of being charged by a battery charging assembly also increases the possibility that a particular cell may be inserted into the battery charger assembly in an improper manner so as to allow the battery charger assembly to supply the incorrect charging rate current to the particular cell being charged or even inhibit the battery charger assembly from supplying any charging rate current to the cell attempting to be charged. It is desired that means be provided for a battery charger assembly for accepting any of the five major cells in such a manner that the proper charging rate is supplied to the one or more cells being charged.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a battery charging assembly having three different charging rates so as to accommodate the five major types of rechargeable cells.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a battery charger assembly that has means for easily accepting any of the five major types of rechargeable cells and providing the proper charging rate to any of the cells being charged.